


Figuring it Out

by nectarimperial



Category: Tales of Symphonia
Genre: M/M, Mentions of alcohol, Mild Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-26
Updated: 2014-09-26
Packaged: 2018-02-18 20:24:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2361158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nectarimperial/pseuds/nectarimperial
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Romantic attraction is composed of a series of moments, and on the Journey of Regeneration, it's hard to keep those moments sacred.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Figuring it Out

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted to my tumblr, nectar-imperial, but cross posted here as well!

Colette was the first person to figure it out. It wasn't really difficult—she had gone looking for Lloyd on the balcony and accidentally spied on them kissing. She hadn't meant to (and felt like a peeping tom) but at the same time, she had difficulty looking away. It was cute.

\--

Blushing deeply, Colette sat on the small bed in the tiny room, hands folded delicately across her lap. Her limbs shook ever so slightly, and she couldn't tell if that was from her illness, or the shots of alcohol she'd taken at the request of Dirk. Even the Professor said it was alright after everything they'd been through over the last couple of days. Dirk said it was something called, 'tequila' and Triet was the only city across either world that made the liquid. She thought she liked it, but it definitely made her a little sleepy and woozy.  
  
She was afraid to stay, because being in the room whenever Zelos and Lloyd decided to exit would be awkward, but at the same time if she left she might make noise that would disturb them. Also, she knew she'd probably fall down the stairs. So instead, Colette sat deathly still, watching through the window of the balcony, and praying it would be too dark to notice her figure.

  
"Where did those two go?" Came the faint voice of the Professor from downstairs.  
  
"Maybe Zelos killed him. You can't trust gingers..." Genis remarked before presumably getting hit by his sister.  
  
"I believe the Chosen mentioned meeting Lloyd on the balcony. Perhaps they're up there," Regal suggested.  
  
Colette's eyes widened and she knew she had to do something. Romance was not something to be spoiled by anyone and to be cherished forever! Standing up quickly, she silently scurried down the stairs, tripping on the last step, and falling face first on the hardwood floor.  
  
"Colette, don't over exert yourself," Raine said, leaning over to help her up.  
  
"I think it's the illness, I feel really faint," Colette said, feeling guilty that she was lying, but knew she was protecting the beauty of true love (if that's what you could call it). Somewhere in the back of her head, she heard 'lying is the first step on the path to thievery' but figured with all the lying she'd done already, she was halfway to becoming a thief.  
  
\--  
  
Regal was the second person to figure it out. When room assignments came, he was often paired with Zelos if there weren't enough vacancies at the inn the party was resting at for the night. In the evening, they were both in the same room, but by morning Regal woke up alone.  
  
\--  
  
The morning light streamed in through the window, waking the blue-haired man up, and as he rolled over, he noticed that once again, Zelos had disappeared. It wasn't uncommon. It happened frequently, and he wasn't so young and naive enough to think the Chosen was merely an early riser. The past few times when the redhead had snuck back to the room wearing his pajama pants and nothing more, he'd pretended to be asleep, choosing not to confront him. However, this morning he thought it might be a good idea to ask about his whereabouts.

  
As usual, around five in the morning, the door creaked open and he slipped in wearing little more than bottoms and carried the rest of his clothing in his hands. His hair was delicately braided and hanging over one shoulder, white ribbon tied at the end to keep it in place.  
  
"Late night?" Regal asked, sitting up, smirking a little. "And just where do you go in your pajamas?"  
  
If possible, the already fair Chosen's face grew even more pallid, and he opened his mouth in an attempt to come up with an excuse, but failed seeing as how they were staying the night in a House of Guidance located in the middle of nowhere. There were no women to visit, and no bars or casinos to frequent, meaning that the man had nowhere else to go to aside from another room at the inn. On top of that, it was impossible to come up with an excuse that didn't involve unsavory activities, seeing as how he was mostly naked.  
  
"Lloyd and I, uh," he stopped, unsure of what to say. "Don't tell anyone, okay?"  
  
"My lips are sealed," Regal replied, lying back down on the pillows smiling to himself, recalling his own memories of lost love with fondness.  
  
\--  
  
Kratos was the third person to figure it out, much to his dismay. After telling his son about Anna, his birth, and the sins of his past, he decided to leave a memento of the times he spent with his family—however short they were.  
  
\--  
  
The snow fell gently down, dusting his uniform with flecks of white and leaving wet spots on his face and hair. He couldn't feel the cold, and it'd been so long since he had been able to, he'd since forgotten the sensation completely. He'd lived far too long. No one should live well past their life expectancy, and the one person that renewed his faith in humanity was gone. But Lloyd was so much like her, he thought that maybe his son could keep him from running away. 

 _'I'm sorry Anna,'_  he thought as he stared at the locket in his hands.  _'He's the kind of person I wish I was. The kind of person you always were.'_  Kratos felt the sides of his mouth twitch a little. Maybe he was smiling, but he’d since forgotten the feeling of happiness.  
  
"Noishe, give this to Lloyd. He deserves to keep it. I've since lost that right," he said, petting the white and green fur of the animal's face. For a long time, the Arshis had been his only true companion and friend and he regretted that he wouldn’t be able to be by his side for the last of his evolutions.  
  
He whined audibly.  
  
"Lloyd's coming back outside?" Kratos asked, confused. When he talked to the boy moments ago, he mentioned that he was going straight to bed after learning about his past because his head hurt trying to process everything at once. Turning around, he spotted his son, and a certain womanizing Chosen making their way back to the terrace, hands intertwined with one another, laughing like old friends. They were talking, playing, even (to Kratos’ disgust) being intimate.  
  
Noishe whined again.  
  
"I agree, he could've picked someone better, but," he paused, looking at Anna's face from the locket, "at least he seems happy." Giving the locket to the animal, he turned on his heel and departed, glancing back one last time to see the pair looking out over the Flanoir cityscape, arms intertwined.  
  
\--  
  
Raine was the fourth person to figure it out. She’d suspected it for a while, but it was after the night they spent at Flanoir that confirmed it. As much as she wanted to listen to the speech Lloyd gave in front of the doors of the inn, all she could focus on was the very top of a bruise lingering right above his collar on the left side of his neck.

\--  
  
“All right, let’s go kick some Cruxis ass, Lloyd,” Zelos cheered, running ahead of the group, grabbing Colette’s hand to twirl her. Raine watched, both amused at their optimism at a time like this, and suppressing the sadness knowing there was a possibility it might never be this carefree again.  
  
“Hey, before we leave can I talk to you real quick?” Lloyd asked the redheaded Chosen.  
  
“Uh, okay. Excuse me, my fair lady, I believe this gentleman wants to dance with Zelos the Great,” he said with a wink, jogging after Lloyd. Colette giggled and waved. Pretending to read a book, the Professor moved herself within earshot to the two boys in an attempt to eavesdrop on their conversation. Normally, she’d frown on this kind of behavior, but curiosity got the best of her and seeing as how herself, Genis, Regal and Presea had accompanied the doctor to Altessa’s house, and of the three that stayed in Flanoir, only one was gauche enough to leave such a tactless parting gift, she had to confirm her suspicions. It was just research.  
  
“Zelos, I trust you,” he said, biting his lip and looking at the snow beneath their feet.  
  
“What are you talking about?” He moved his black gloved hand to Lloyd’s cheek, stroking him with his thumb, “Of course I understand that you’re counting on me.”  
  
Sighing, Lloyd leaned his head on his chest and pulled him into an embrace.  
  
“Just place your faith in me, honey.”  
  
“Faith, huh? I hope so,” he replied, words muffled from talking into pink fabric.  
  
Grabbing the swordsman by the shoulders and shaking him a little he said, “Yeah, yeah. Come on! Let’s go.” Bestowing a quick peck on the cheek, he ran off, yelling to Colette he was free to finish twirling her around until the world spun into two on their own.  
  
Lloyd walked begrudgingly back to the group, and Raine fished a single gald coin out of her pocket.  
  
“Lloyd!” She called, walking up next to him.  
  
“Yes Professor?”  
  
“A bruise is caused by rupturing the capillaries that lie in the dermal layer of the skin. When the blood clots and rests, the bruise finally becomes visible. Traditionally, a medic applies a cold compress to the area to reduce swelling and the size of the clot, but they say if you rub the grooved edge of a coin against it for five minutes, you massage down the size of the ruptured area, allowing the blood to reabsorb into the skin,” she explained, handing him the gald in her hand.  
  
“Professor?” He asked weakly.  
  
“If you’d like to remove that unsightly thing that idiot Chosen gave you, I’d suggest you try it,” Raine replied flatly, hoping he’d get the hint without having to go into further detail. His face fell and he stuttered to try and say something, but she’d already walked away to rejoin the group.  
  
\--

Presea was the fifth person to figure it out. It brought her amusement to think about the pair drunkenly making fools of themselves at the fancy dinner party, and in a way it made her feel more comfortable. Sure, she wasn’t the life of the party, but it kept attention away and for that, she was appreciative.  
  
\--  
  
Feeling uncomfortable in her frilly dress at the dinner party, Presea decided to observe the interactions between other people instead of forcing herself to be social. Genis had fulfilled her maximum capacity for socializing anyway, as he hadn’t left her alone all night. She stood in the back corner of the reception hall, near the exit, should she begin to feel claustrophobic and have the urge to leave.  
  
Just when she thought she might actually execute her escape plan, as Genis hadn’t stopped telling her why magic could be more powerful against enemies than wielding a sword, she heard an uproar of laughter and the two men approached the pair, trying very hard to stand upright.  
  
“Lloyd, Lloyd. Have you seen Sheena? She looks great!” Zelos said, slurring his words together, stopping in front of Presea to try and pick up the Nobleman who kept tripping, “Well hello my Little Rosebud! Or should I say Little Madam?” She blushed a little from the compliment. It was taking some getting used to, but she was starting to be able to discern what exactly a compliment was.    
  
“H-hey, stop that!” Genis said, trying to defend her honor from being trampled on by the Chosen.  
  
“Relax, Genis,” Lloyd said, trying to pat him on the shoulder but missing every time, “He’s been drinking. Said he had to after what I did,” unlike the other man, his words were overly enunciated.  
  
Giving a small smatter of a snicker, Presea replied, “From the very strong smell of champagne and brandy on your breath, there’s a 100% chance you too have been drinking.”  
  
“And you would be 100% correct.” Probably from second-hand embarrassment, Genis excused himself to go grab another glass of water, but the pink-haired girl couldn’t have found this situation more entertaining.  
  
“Now if you don’t mind, Little Madam, we will be retiring to my bedroom,” in a haze of inebriation, he took Presea’s hand and kissed it before dragging Lloyd off around his hips in an effort to keep the both of them stabilized.  
  
“After we stop at the bathroom. Zelos, I feel sick. I think—“ His voice trailed off as they exited the reception hall, presumably back to the mansion. Still laughing to herself, she felt a little more content with her surroundings and thought she might enjoy the rest of the evening to its full extent.  
  
\--  
  
Genis was the sixth person to figure it out. He’d had his suspicions, but the evening before the group was preparing to go explore the Altamira nightlife, he confirmed it. He might’ve been young, but he wasn’t stupid.  
  
\--  
  
Banned from going with the others to explore the Altamira nightlife, he decided to pester everyone else as they got ready for their evening out. Raine had told him that the place they were going wouldn’t be appropriate, on top of the fact he wouldn’t have been allowed inside. He’d tried arguing, saying that Presea looked just as young as he was, but to no avail. It was going to be a boring night at the hotel.  
  
“Oh Sheena, you’re really good at doing make-up!” Colette exclaimed, staring at her face in the mirror, “I have terrible coordination. It never looks this good.”  
  
“Thanks! We people of Mizuho have a type of theatre called Kabuki. While it’s stage make-up, it teaches you a lot of really great techniques for your own face,” she replied excitedly, and Genis concluded that despite her tough exterior, she appreciated having female friends her own age.  
  
“Did you learn any other tricks? I wish I didn’t look so much like an ironing board," Colette said, trailing off, looking down at her figure.  
  
“Do I hear my hunnies changing in there?” Came the flamboyant voice of the Chosen, busting in through the partially cracked door.  
  
“You jackass, get out!” Sheena yelled, throwing a hairbrush at his face.  
  
Dodging the flying object, he complained a little before making his way back to his own room. Thinking that he might follow him when the girls started on eyeliner, Genis slipped out the open door and followed him up to the fifth floor. Somehow, it didn’t surprise him that he paid for the executive suite. The white-haired boy crept in through the ajar door, surprised at how lovely it looked. The large bed was next to a window by the sea, and the table in the living room had a giant vase of flowers, a bottle of champagne, and two glasses.  
  
“Hey, twerp, what do you think you’re doing,” Zelos accused, coming out of the bathroom, braiding his long, red hair.  
  
“N-nothing,” feeling awkward, he tried to change the subject, “You sure have a nice setup in here. Where is Lloyd anyway?”  
  
“He left with Regal a little bit ago. Said us girls were taking too long,” he replied, tying off the braid with a royal blue ribbon. “Excuse me for wanting to look fabulous for all the cute hunnies that I’m going to meet tonight,” he said with a sigh, going back into the bathroom to check his appearance.  
  
“Somehow, I don’t think all this,” Genis said, glancing around the large suite, embellishments Zelos added perfectly in place, “is for a bunch of nameless women.”  
  
“What did you say, brat?” He said, storming out of the bathroom, but before he could be caught, Genis had already escaped.  
  
\--   
  
Sheena was the seventh person to figure it out. With everything going on, it was impossible to catch a moment of quiet or solitude. She thought she might go talk to Lloyd the night before releasing the seal of Origin, but the Chosen had already beaten her to it.  
  
\--  
  
Standing in the shadows of the inn, Sheena watched the two boys talking in the moonlight, arms waving dramatically, but was having a difficult time hearing what the two of them were talking about. However, she was trained in the ninja arts of Mizuho, so she stealthily inched closer, making sure she was undetectable.  
  
“When you put it that way, I suppose that might be true. Now I feel kinda stupid for getting so worked up over it.” Zelos said, comically crossing his arms over his chest indignantly.  
  
Chuckling, Lloyd playfully punched his arm, “Because you were upset, I think I've calmed down. I'm not worked up anymore.”  
  
The redhead’s cheeks started to match the shade of his hair, “Oh, well that’s good then,” he replied nonchalantly, fiddling with his ponytail out of a nervous habit. Sheena had seen him do it before when he had a difficult time expressing himself, but it was a rare occasion. He was usually so calm and composed.  
  
“Tomorrow, I'll fight Kratos, and then I'll ask him what he was thinking, and what he was trying to do,” he replied, full of determination and zeal. It was those qualities that made him the type of leader they all loved. It was those qualities that taught Sheena to believe in herself and overcome her cowardice.  
  
“If Origin's seal is broken, the worlds will begin to unite, right? So I won’t—“ he stopped mid-sentence, and continued to pull at his hair, hands shaking a little.  
  
"Yeah, they will. Oh, yeah, about that question you asked earlier. I'm planning to go on a journey to search for Exspheres,” Lloyd said with one of his genuine smiles.  
  
“Huh?” He looked up, blue eyes full of concern and worry.  
  
“You asked what I was gonna do after the worlds are reunited, dork.”  
  
“We should put the Exspheres somewhere people will never get their hands on them again—for the sake of living beings, as well as for the lifeless ones,” he replied, mouth slowly curving up into a smile. Although, Sheena noted that he was still unable to get his hands out from his hair.  
  
“What about you?” Lloyd asked tentatively as he grabbed Zelos’ free hand from by his side and squeezed it.  
  
“Me?” he asked, dropping his smile, growing concerned again. “The institution of the Chosen will surely be abolished. So, uh,” he paused once more, tugging on a curly strand of hair rather vigorously, “I guess I’ll just tag along with you?” He offered weakly.  
  
Grinning widely, Lloyd threw his arms around him and told him that he’d hoped he’d come along with him.  
  
Thinking it was time to leave them alone, Sheena went back to her room thinking to herself, ‘ _Good on you Zelos. Lloyd—I hope you know what you’re getting into.'_  
  
\--  
  
Zelos was the last person to figure it out. When the worlds had finally been reunited, news that they’d be continuing to travel together came as a surprise to no one, much to Zelos’ dismay, who wanted an excuse for a large party, no matter what the occasion. But in the end, it was better this way. Zelos had never been keen on sharing his feelings.  
  
\--  
  
Standing next to Lloyd by his mother's grave was difficult for Zelos. He knew what it was like to grow up without parents, and in a way, he could empathize with him. Taking the idealist's hand, he held on to it tightly, thinking maybe it would provide some kind of solace for him after everything that had happened on the Journey of Regeneration.  
  
"Mom," he started, voice beginning to warble a little, "Dad, well, Dad left. That was okay wasn't it?" Lloyd squeezed the hand he was holding onto tightly and started to choke up a little, blinking furiously, "For me to let him go, it was okay right?"  
  
Hearing footsteps behind them, Dirk approached, clearing his throat to signal his arrival, "Lloyd," he said, "you wanted to go with him, didn't you?"  
  
Dropping Zelos' hand and turning around he shook his head, "No, I already have my own path to follow," he turned to look at the former Chosen, smiling, holding back the tears beginning to well up in his eyes, "And Dad has his. Besides, I have a dad here already," he laughed.  
  
"I see," Dirk said with a smile, "then I won't say any more."  
  
Bending over, he picked up the sword that was leaning against his leg. Long, straight, and elegantly crafted, the sword belonged to none other than Kratos Aurion of Cruxis. Lloyd leaned it against the tombstone, placing a bouquet of flowers delicately next to the sword.  
  
"Mom, I'll leave Dad's sword here beside you."  
  
"You're the strongest person I've ever met," Zelos blurted out, not thinking of his words, "I want to be by your side like this forever." Once the words were out in the open, it was impossible to forget them, and his eyes widened in fear at the response they'd illicit. In nervousness, he immediately began to tug on his hair, turning away a little. For some reason, he couldn't muster up all the self-confidence he normally had when he was around Lloyd. Everything broke down and he felt like a vulnerable child wanting to hide forever in his arms.  
  
"Okay," came the reply, "You better be serious," he said wagging a finger in his face.  
  
"I'm really glad you trusted me. Without you I might've disappeared and I uh," an awkward pause fell over the two, "I love—" His eyes got even wider (if possible) and he began shaking a little, "traveling with you," he finished lamely.    
  
"I love you too, Zelos. Even if you're too proud to admit it," Lloyd replied with a snort. The former Chosen hopped back and forth on his feet a little, dropping the strands of his ginger hair that had been wound around his finger tip.  
  
"Well, let's get started then," Zelos said, throwing his arms out wide and grabbing the other man, spinning around. Running off from Dirk's house, he nudged Noishe as a hint to follow him and kept running, but never once thought he'd be alone because he'd found a reason to live.   
  
End

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
